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Zatoichi The Television Series Volume Four by Katsu Shintaro (1974)

jonahlee — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:59:04 +0000

Another 4 episodes of the Television incarnation of the amazing blind masseuse swordsman Zatoichi as played by and directed by the great Katsu Shintaro. Damn if he isn’t good at opening his eyes to show the whites in his eyes. Zatoichi is one of the most famous samurai characters of all time with his trademark sword cane and his lower handed fighting style that is a true style. It is also amazing that while Katsu-Shin didn’t direct most of the films (only some of the TV series and the final film), he did choreograph almost all of the fight scenes, and that is what Zatoichi fans love so much, seeing his lighting fast sword get drawn and swing into action, writing wrongs and helping the innocent.

REVIEW CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS…

Episode 14: FIGHTING JOURNEY WITH BABY IN TOW. A group of shady characters, one of whom has a grudge against Zatoichi, and a scar across his neck to prove it are out to kill him. Zatoichi takes a ride in a carriage, but when they pass a sick woman with her baby, he gives her the ride, so the men attack and kill the woman, and Ichi ends up taking the baby to find the baby’s father who was a silk merchant. On the way he gets a female thief to help him take care of the baby, and she is reluctant, but warms up to the baby and especially to Ichi. Ichi is mean with her to get her to leave, because she would have a bad life with him, and tries to return the baby, but the father is now a gang leader an a bastard, and refuses to accept the baby and even attacks Ichi, and eventually he ends up killing him, leaving the baby with a priest and leaving the woman to walk off on his own.

EPISODE 15: FESTIVAL SONG OF THE RAVEN In the fog after leaving a Casino Ichi is attacked, but when he hears one man beg for his life for his sick wife and child, Ichi spares him and gives him 10 gold pieces to return home, but says he will come to the sweat saki shop to see if he was lying. As soon as Ichi leaves though a rough Yakuza who the men were actually looking for comes by and kills the man and takes his charm as well as Ichi’s Ama (masseuse) whistle. Ichi arrives at the Saki shop to find the wife dyeing, but he likes the kid and the sister and stays in the town working with the Yakuza there and their kind boss. Some of the brothers of the men Ichi killed show up to kill him, and want to the boss to give him up, but he refuses, so they blame Ichi for the death of the husband, but Ichi tells the truth that he didn’t do it, and ends up fighting the evil villain who actually killed the father and proving his innocence.

EPISODE 16 BURNING SUNSET IN A BRIDAL PASS has Ichi returning to a village where he has treated a girl once ever 3 years since she was 12, and he happens to arrive on her happy wedding day. On the way to the wedding the corrupt official hijacks the wedding and arrests the groom. He also plans on raping the girl. There is an assassin working for him as well, who keeps telling Ichi to leave. When rumors of an official inspection come the official hides the good at the girl’s father’s house and tries to kill the groom, but the assassin turns out to be an undercover and he and Ichi save the day. The guy would like to arrest Ichi, but knows he can’t and he sneaks off.

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A great series of episodes. I love Ichi. He is so damn cool. The Kitano Takeshi version was a good one of his films, but was just not a Zatoichi film.

Zatoichi The Television Series Volume Three by Katsu Shintaro (1974)

jonahlee — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 01:19:39 +0000

A 3rd volume of 4 more 45 minute Zatoichi television episodes. For any fan of Zatoichi they will greatly enjoy these films, though I do think the passing is sometimes not as fast or well paced as the features, but are still quite enjoyable, and follow more of yours and mine favorite Samurai Zatoichi, the blind Sworsdmen. Katsu Shintaro or Katsu-Shin. His character is such a lovable scoundrel, that no matter how many he kills, his goodness still shines out and makes you love him more and more. He is really an amazing and enjoyable character.

THE SUMO WRESTLER WHO FOUND HIS HOME Some highlights include Zatoichi meeting a young Sumo Wrestler who was kicked out of his school because he was covering for older men, and he follows Zatoichi for a time and eventually Zatoichi re-united him with his father.

HUMANITY AND JUSTICE has Zatoichi meeting up with a woman dressed as a man who has set out to kill the boss that killed her father, but ends up getting taken by that boss, and only finds justice with help from Zatoichi who does the honorable thing, turning against his former friend who is no longer a good man, and helping this woman to become a woman again, and of course Zatoichi leaves without her.

THE 1,000 RYO RAFFLE Zatoichi helps a drunken Yakuza on the way home after serving 3 years of a 10 year sentence for killing a boss for his boss, and he gives Ichi a Raffle ticket. The ticket is a winner, for 1000 Ryo so Zatoichi goes to find the man and return the ticket, but the man won’t accept it. He goes back to find his younger sister alone, as his wife has gone to his boss, and only becomes interested when she learns of the ticket. Zatoichi is hired to kill the man, but frees him, letting him kill the boss and toss away his tramp of a wife, but Ichi sneaks the raffle ticket into the sleeve of the younger sister.

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I would not recommend these as a start into Zatoichi, as the films are superior, but these are very enjoyable, and it is just good to have more with this lovable bad ass.

Zatoichi The Television Series Volumet Two (1974)

Jonah Lee Walker — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 01:55:17 +0000

For a 100 episode series it is really depressing to get 1 less episode on the second disc than the first, but that is the usual MO of Anime companies and this is Media Blasters after all, but at 100 episodes we will have 24 or 25 DVD’s to get this whole series, and that is some serious money! Still it doesn’t stop this from being 4 more episodes of Zatoichi goodness. Katsu-shin rocks, and that is all there is too it.

And a cool side note, this is my 500th entry in this blog! Nice! I started this is in 2004 and it is now 2006, so 500 movies in 2006. I can’t believe that is all the movies I have seen, but that doesn’t include all the television I have watched (admitedly not that much television, but I still watch it, especially Sunday Night HBO).

Katsu Shintaro returns as the sword wielding blind masseuse Zatoichi, and much chaos and bloodshed ensues. It is always a pleasure to watch Katsu-Shin weilding his sword to right wrongs and fight injustice.

The highlights of this set include in A Bird Lands on Ichi, Zatoichi meeting a samurai who is kind and gentle and tends a track of land of animals for the lord to hunt, but an evil official wants to sell the animals to make a profit. The samurai even has birds that come to him and land on him, but won’t come to Zatoichi because of his aura of death, though the 2 become friends and fight the bad guys, and eventually a bird comes to Zatoichi.

In An Unforgettable Flower Ichi saves a girl from suicide, and then helps her be freed from prostitution but her past follows her. The evil man who seduced her and sold her into prostitution finds her and sells her out to her former owners, and they come after Ichi and her. Ichi and her were happy and were acting as husband and wife, but when a spear is headed towards Ichi she jumps in the way and takes it, dyeing in the process, and leaving Ichi more saddened, and alone again.

In The Two Zatoichis, Ichi arrives in a town to heart that Zatoichi is there, and he finds that his old friend another Zato or masseuse is working with a woman who is using him to pretend he is Zatoichi though he is really a bumbling fool. She pretends they will get married, but in fact she won’t even sleep with him, and eventually having a prostitute do it. Ichi tries to get his friend to separate with her, but he won’t, even when the woman tries to get Ichi to pose as Zatoichi. Of course eventually Ichi must reveal he is the true Zatoichi and take out the baddies, though leaving the woman alive to live her miserable and lying life, using her beauty to seduce men.

Sure the image is a little dirty, but this is zatoichi goodness, I just wish they gave more episodes per disc! Oh well, I still recommend this for all Zatoichi fans.

Zatoichi The Television Series Volume One (1974)

Jonah Lee Walker — Wed, 31 May 2006 00:42:12 +0000

I was a little wary of the Zatoichi Television series, but really I shouldn’t have been worried. This is essentially 45 minute Zatoichi films with a little less blood, and less women interested in Zatoichi, but other than that this is just more Zatoichi. If you are a fan you will love this show, though at 100 episodes this is going to be an expensive series to own especially since the first disc has 5 episodes and each subsequent only has 4.

More Zatoichi action, well worth seeing. With all the violence but no blood (except in the first episode). Katsu Shin is really the man, and I still don’t know how he does that with his eyes. He is bad ass fighter and his fighting style is amazing.